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The Dreg
Summary The Dreg are farmers located on the southwestern border of the Blood Vale. They are comprised primarily of human and half-breed refugees from surrounding empires, the dregs of greater civilizations. They live a precarious existence, between former lords and a deadly threat. "Dreg" was once a slur, but the people are now proud to be known by that moniker. The Dreg live in lands thought too dangerous for human habitation, for they are constantly overrun by Undying. Herds of the rotting dead will wander from the Blood Vale into Dreg lands, eating the unwary, scaring away livestock, fouling water and farm land. History Origins The Dreg speak little of their origin. Some scholars trace them back to the original settlers of the Blood Vale. Others believe they are escaped criminals, whose families would have been doomed to execution under Saheli law. Still others believe they are rebels from the Midian Empire, living in the only land safe from the Legion's reach. The Dreg have been recorded for hundreds of years, but may have been living in their valleys for thousands of years. Modern Day The farmers continue to get by, living hidden between empires and death. Dreg do not welcome outsiders, but will offer protection for coin. Society Dreg live in a strictly communal society. Within each village-tulou everything is shared. And without, Dreg support Dreg--even in the most desperate of circumstances. Each village has pledged to annihilate itself if ever overrun by Undying. The Dreg do not want to make more undead for their kin to fight against. Family Life Many Dreg have dwarven or orkik blood in their family lines. Some are quite short. Others have harsh features with larger canine teeth. But the Dreg have little concept of the ancient emnity between mankind, fey and fellbreed. They hold a passionate bond of brotherhood between one another, considering all Dreg family. Dreg may or may not wed. There is no issue of inheritance, so the necessity of establishing a line of succession is unknown to them. Children know their birth mothers, but know all men as "father;" and all other women as "aunts." They are loved and protected by all. An adult Dreg will not hesitate to sacrifice their life for a child. Elders are highly respected, if a bit feared. For, as in the Blood Vale, the old may die and then return from death. Disease and Madness Dreg are deeply fearful of disease, especially madness. Disease may bring death. But madness might bring worse. Dreg depend on each other to be watchful, and to follow safety precautions. If a door is left open, a back turned, Undying may enter and consume an entire village. Consequently, any sign of madness may result in confinement or worse, expulsion. Rites of Birth and Death If a woman dies during childbirth, she may turn undead. Likewise the injured and the elderly provide significant risk to the rest of the Dreg. Therefore, each Dreg village has two towers reserved for giving birth, or tending to the dying. The tower rooms are set high in the earthen wall, far from the other apartments. They have a heavy door that bolts from the outside with arrow slots that fire into the room. The tower is outfitted with a staircase that can be destroyed if needed. Both rooms' walls are covered in runes and glyphs meant to protect the living. Farming The Dreg have to leave their villages often to farm and feed their herds, risking encounters with the undead. For this they have come up with ingenious solutions. They have trained vultures to serve as spotters for Undying. The Dreg farm on raised plots of land with sloping sides, difficult for the dead to walk up. Wells are capped, heavily protected with fences and pit traps. Dreg raise few large farm animals, preferring instead to spread out risk among smaller breeds of pigs, sheep, goats, chicken, and dogs. The farmers themselves wear rotted hands, feet, even heads, in order to conceal their scent. Housing Dreg live in tulou, circular earthen barracks with walls as thick as six feet. The tulou are partially submerged, designed to blend in with the environment. Each serves as a village unto itself, with evenly sized apartments for families, a water cistern, and communal granary. Livestock can be protected within the tulou as well. Everything is disguised: smoke from cooking fires vents out hundreds of yards away; waste is sent out into fallow fields. Warfare Dreg are generally pacifists. They will kill Undying, but have few weapons with which to do so. Dreg have barely enough metal for meager knives and farm tools. Their land is poor in iron; and they have few smiths among them. Dreg depend mostly on cunning to survive attacks from Undying. Outside empires have rarely entered Dreg lands. The Undying serve to drive them off, better than any Dreg militia could hope to do. Location The Dreg are located in the plains between the Midian Empire and the Saheli princes. Estimated Numbers Fewer than 10,000 Dreg are thought to live in the Vale, although they remain uncounted. Known Towns The Dreg have no towns. They live in fortified villages of 80-100 people. Most are human, although there is a significant minority of halfbloods. Allies Dreg have no allies. They prefer to keep it that way. The only outsiders welcome in Dreg lands are the Shepherds of the Blood. Foes Midians and Saheli have been known to capture Dreg as slaves. The Undying pose a constant threat. Every few years a village is lost to their depredations. Characters Mama Osa, Matriarch of Toulon Osa Mama Osa is a Dreg woman, approaching her ninth decade of life. She is sharp-witted, and sharper tongued. She has kept her people alive during famines and undead attack. Mama Osa has one of her grandchildren at her side at all times, who carries a silvered punch dagger. The child knows when Mama passes, the dagger must go straight into her ear. Bugeye, Bard of Toulon Gravv Bugeye, so named for a protruding left eye, is one of the few Dreg who travels outside his own village. He shares news and song throughout the Dreg lands. Unbeknownst to his kin, Bugeye is under a geas; and serves as a spy for a hidden power. Comments "Dregs, indeed. Poor people scraping poorer soil, in the shadow of the Wall (and death)." --Neilkot, Merchant of Midia "The Stench Undying fend off worse foes." --Dreg Saying, regarding the threat of Midia and Saheli kingdoms. "Walk in daylight. Run at night." --Dreg Advice to the Traveler Dreg